Don Heffner
| Don Heffner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second Baseman | |
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Born: February 8, 1911 Rouzerville, Pennsylvania | |
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Died: August 1, 1989 (aged 78) Pasadena, California | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1934 for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 29, 1944 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .241 |
| Home runs | 6 |
| Runs batted in | 248 |
| Teams | |
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As player:
As manager:
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Donald Henry Heffner (February 8, 1911 – August 1, 1989) was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball.
Player and coach
Born in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania, Heffner entered baseball in 1929. After all or parts of four seasons with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles, Heffner joined the New York Yankees for the 1934 season. He spent four seasons with the Yanks as a part-time player before a trade to the St. Louis Browns afforded him more playing time. He appeared in more than 100 games from 1938–1941 with St. Louis before reverting to a reserve role, and finished his playing career with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers in 1943–1944. In 743 games over all or parts of 11 American League seasons (1934–1944), Heffner batted .241 with six home runs and 610 hits.
In 1947, he began his managing career in the Browns’ farm system, and he promptly won consecutive pennants in his first two seasons. He returned to the Major Leagues as a coach with the Athletics, now based in Kansas City, from 1958–1960 and the Tigers in 1961. Heffner then spent two successful seasons managing the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, winning the 1962 league championship, before becoming third-base coach of the New York Mets in 1964–1965.
Brief term as Reds' skipper
In October 1965, he succeeded Dick Sisler as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Heffner was hired by longtime associate Bill DeWitt, the Reds’ owner and general manager who was the front office boss of the Browns during Heffner’s playing days.
The Reds were a first division finisher in 1965 and hopes were high for a pennant run the following year — especially after DeWitt added front-line starting pitcher Milt Pappas in a blockbuster trade with Baltimore involving former National League most valuable player Frank Robinson. But while the Orioles roared to the AL pennant and world championship in 1966, the Reds never got untracked under Heffner, who tried to convert all-star second baseman Pete Rose into a third baseman, only to draw the popular star's wrath. (Oddly, Rose would later willingly become a third baseman for Sparky Anderson). With Cincinnati in eighth place in the National League with a record of 37–46 (.446) on July 13, Heffner was released in favor of Dave Bristol.
Heffner never again managed in the Major Leagues, although he spent 1967–1968 as a California Angels coach and 1969 as manager of the Denver Bears of the American Association. He died at age 78 in Pasadena, California. His interment was located at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena.
References
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Baseball-library.com
- John Duxbury, ed., The Baseball Register, 1968 edition. St. Louis: The Sporting News.
| Preceded by Solly Hemus |
New York Mets third-base coach 1964–1965 |
Succeeded by Whitey Herzog |
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